FAQ 1. What is this? Do I need it?

This is a PPP over Ethernet (short: PPPoE) implementation for Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP and Server 2003. PPPoE as a method for establishing PPP connections through Ethernet adapters is described in RFC 2516 and is used by many broadband service providers to allow authentication and maintain the familiar "dial-up experience" when connecting to the Internet through a broadband modem. Note, however, that not all broadband service providers use PPPoE. If you know you need PPPoE to connect to your service provider and you happen to be using one of the supported operating systems, this implementation could be of interest to you.

FAQ 2. What is so special about this implementation of PPP over Ethernet?

Although there are several other PPPoE implementations for Windows, this one still has its unmatched strong points:

• Seamless integration into the operating system. This protocol makes Ethernet network adapters appear as "modems", allowing PPPoE to be easily used within the standard Dial-Up Networking framework.
• Compatibility: This protocol supports Internet Connection Sharing (including on-demand dialing), power management (Standby and Hibernate) as well as multiprocessor systems.
• Completeness: This protocol can not only act as a PPPoE Host (client), but also as an Access Concentrator (server), fully implementing RFC 2516.
• Compactness: The complete protocol is less than 250 KB. Yet no concessions were made in the implementation.

If this convinced you to try RASPPPOE, see Download & Install.

FAQ 3. Windows XP/.NET comes with builtin PPPoE support, why use RASPPPOE instead?

Even though Windows XP/.NET comes with builtin PPPoE support, Microsoft's implementation is not yet as sophisticated as RASPPPOE. See this feature comparison chart:

Feature	Microsoft PPPoE in Windows XP/.NET	RASPPPOE
Seamless integration with the operating system	Yes	Yes
Fully exploits the maximum possible PPPoE MTU (1492)	No	YES
Supports Internet Connection Sharing and NAT seamlessly	No	YES
Allows tuning the TCP RWIN without registry changes*	No	YES
Offers PPPoE server (Access Concentrator) capability	No	YES

* To increase the autonegotiated TCP RWIN with RASPPPOE, use the Specify Link Speed option and specify a link speed of 101Mbps or greater, e.g. enter 101000 (kbps) as the link speed the protocol should report. Windows XP/.NET will then autonegotiate a TCP RWIN of approx. 64KB instead of the default 16KB, which is often too small for broadband connections.

FAQ 4. Does this protocol support internal or USB DSL modems?

Generally yes, but you require a driver for your modem that exposes the Ethernet medium type (NdisMedium802_3) in addition to this protocol. This medium type is sometimes referred to as RFC 1483 encapsulation or RFC 2684 encapsulation. You may also have to find out the VCI and VPI parameters your service provider uses. To check if you can communicate with your service provider, run RASPPPOE.EXE after installing the protocol and click the Query Available Services button. If you get at least one service offer listed, your setup is working.